HEARTS WILL GO ON
Chapter Fourteen

"My goodness, but that is pretty," Mom said, moving closer to examine my necklace. I nodded stupidly.

"Tom gave it to me," I replied as she put it on me. She took the note and began reading it.

"Typical male chicken scratch," she said with a small laugh. I shrugged, looking at Dave, who was trying to show Jamie how to use the top he had received from Santa Claus.

"I don’t understand…" I said, more to myself than to anyone else.

"It was a very kind gesture," Mom assured me. "But…he went a bit out of his way, didn’t he? I mean…I know you two are terribly close now and everything, but still…"

"I need to lie down," I said after a minute. "I’m not feeling so well." It was true. My head was spinning. Tom had been acting so strange the past few days. The last time I’d seen him two days before, he said that we would have to wait until after the new year to meet again because he had some things to take care of. Now this…and then it hit me. He was hiding something. I’d seen it before. The way Dave was acting at the party the night before. When Ma used to hide the fact that we were broke. I excused myself and went to my room without another word.

The flowers that Jonathan had sent me were already in my room on the nightstand beside the bed. On top of everything, there was that kiss. That horrible, amazing kiss that hadn’t lasted but a second or two. His lips had hardly even touched mine at all, but I felt them. It made me sick to my stomach that I was still even thinking of him. It was enough that Dave was lovesick over Miss Edwards…I didn’t have to join the ranks of people pining for the ones they could never have. No, I decided, I must keep focused on my dreams. I was not going to end up being someone’s little wife. I wanted to make something of my life. I was going to be realistic. I would never be the President or go to Harvard, but perhaps I could just go to a women’s college to finish my education. I’d been dead set against it, but now it was beginning to appeal to me more and more since I only had graduated high school.

Then, I started thinking. Did I really want my father’s company? I mean, I would be the owner, yes, but running a company that produced soap was not the dream I’d had in mind. Not to mention that I would probably have little or no say as to how it was run. My passion was art. I wanted to write a book. I wanted to travel and to see the world. Be realistic, Jo, my mind said. You’ve set your standards too high. I could still do all that and take my father’s company. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if the company wasn’t ours any longer.

I fell into a troubled sleep and found myself in that hospital corridor again, screaming for that mystery person to hear me. It was always fruitless, though. It was like I was invisible, and the harder I tried to get into the room, the less I was able to try. I woke up an hour later, exhausted still, sweating. Quickly, I got dressed and went back down into the parlor. I realized I was starving. Mom looked worried.

"Jo…you look simply awful," she said, feeling my head. I nodded.

"I’m not feeling so well…" I said, my head feeling heavy. Olivia frowned, pushing a muffin toward me.

"Eat…you’ll feel better."

To my surprise, she was right. Once I had eaten and had something to drink, I felt much better.

"Where is Dave?" I asked. Mom frowned.

"I’m not sure entirely. He said he needed to go into town for a bit…" she replied, forcing Luke to eat a bit of toast. He was not cooperating with her, and she was ending up with more of the toast on herself. Easily, I grabbed Luke and fed him the rest of the toast without a problem. Mom sighed, exasperated.

"That little sneak has been acting very suspicious," I added, referring to Dave. Mom shrugged.

"A lot has happened to him, too…I mean, who’d have ever thought you and he would…"

"I don’t want to talk about it," I said. The fact that I was engaged to David Christopher Stirling…my best friend, my partner in crime, was still not real to me, and I did not want to fathom what it entailed.

Olivia received a phone call, and when the butler whispered who it was to her, she scowled and said, "Damn him." She excused herself and went to take the phone call. She returned five minutes later, a bit flustered, but still composed. At our expectant looks, she laughed.

"Grant…has to work late tonight. He promised to be home for Christmas dinner." Funny enough, Grant must have found a way to get out of work, because he was home forty-five minutes before dinner. Dave also crawled in about an hour before dinner and would not look me in the eye.

The doorbell startled us all out of our awkward silence and the butler returned shortly with a worried look on his face.

"A young lady…she’s asking for help." I got up immediately, as did Mom, leaving everyone to eat their dinners. The young lady was shivering with her back to us, her blonde hair wet and a bit frozen. When she turned around, I gasped. It was Miss Edwards.

"Oh, my goodness!" Ma said, rushing toward her and pulling her into the biggest hug I think the girl had ever gotten. "What happened to you, sweetheart?" She looked up at Ma with big eyes and then at me.

"I…my father…he…" She couldn’t say anymore and began to sob into Ma’s shoulder.

"Ma…go eat…I’ll take care of her," I said. She looked at me and nodded.

"All right…I’ll let everyone know we have a visitor," she added, rushing back into the dining room as I gently guided the girl to my room to draw her a warm bath.

"It’s going to be all right…Gloria…right?" I asked, and she nodded. I pulled out one of my nightgowns, which would surely be too long for her slight frame. "What did he do to you?" I whispered. She shook her head.

"I told him I didn’t wish to marry Jonathan Hockley," she said shakily.

"You…you don’t?" I asked, feeling far too involved in this conflict.

"No…I…there’s someone else…"

"Dave," I finished for her. She looked at me, surprised, but nodded.

"Mr. Stirling and I…we’ve been meeting…secretly." She bowed her head. "I’m so ashamed…I know you two are to be married, and…"

"Gloria," I said softly, taking her hand. She looked up at me. "Dave and I have been best friends since I was born…we’re not…it’s a marriage of convenience. I do love him dearly, but not…not in that way." She sniffled.

"I see," she replied, still shivering in her wet clothes. I pulled out a bathrobe and showed her to the bath.

"You are welcome here as long as you need. We’ll figure something out, Gloria…don’t worry. I’m a friend."

"You’re not going to tell me I’m stupid for falling for Mr. Stirling? It’s only been a couple of weeks…my mother told me no one can fall in love that quickly," she said in a small voice. I grinned.

"You’d be surprised."

When I returned to the dining room, I was nearly pummeled by Dave.

"How is she? What did he do to her? I’ll kill him…" I put up my hand to silence him and pulled him into the hallway.

"Dave," I said calmly, "she’s fine. She’s having a warm bath. Her father told her to get out when she told him she didn’t want to marry Jonathan…Mr. Hockley. She’s a bit cold, but she’s all yours now apparently. I mean, if she’s disowned, then she can obviously make her own decisions."

"What are you saying?" he asked. I laughed.

"You’re free…from the engagement…you two could get married."

"What about…your father’s company?"

"I have plenty of time…I turn twenty in a bit under a month…" I replied, though the feeling in the pit of my stomach told me it wasn’t going to be so easy. We found Gloria sitting on my bed, staring out the window. Her long, golden hair hung down her back, and she sat with her knees to her chest.

"Gloria?" I asked softly. She looked over at us, and moments later, Dave rushed to her and began to kiss her feverishly. I cleared my throat.

"Dave…let her breathe, for goodness sake!" I said, sitting beside her.

"I want to know everything he did," Dave said, this time in a voice that was not his own.

She looked at me, and I nodded, showing her that I was on her side. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Well…I went into his office this afternoon when I returned home from our…" Her face had gone very pink. "From town. I told him I needed to tell him something, and he was busy so he tried to get rid of me, naturally. But I just kind of blurted it out. ‘Father, I don’t wish to marry Mr. Hockley!’" She sighed heavily, on the verge of tears. "He was livid…I told him about you and he said that you only wanted our money."

"The bastard," Dave growled. I felt very uneasy about what was to come.

"I told him that the Hockleys needed our money, too, and it wasn’t any different, but he said that the Hockleys were respectable…established, and that no daughter of his was going to be the wife of some street urchin."

I nearly choked. Dave? A street urchin? His family was very well off for middle class, and Dave was nearly through college himself. It was the most disgusting thing I had ever heard. To my surprise, Dave laughed at this, and said, "My…he’s really searching for a reason to hate me, isn’t he?" Gloria nodded.

"Finally, I said I wasn’t going to marry Mr. Hockley, and he would just have to accept it…and he…he…"

"It’s all right," I said, touching her arm.

"He hit me on the cheek. I mean, he’s always been cruel, but he’s never hit me…he called me a tramp and told me to get out of his house. So, I came here because I knew Mr. Stirling was here, and it took me a bit because I had to walk."

"Gloria…please…you know I want you to call me Dave…or at the very least, David," he said, touching her cheek. I felt very intrusive at this and got up.

"I should go…" I said quietly, even though it was my room. I got as far as the door and stopped dead. "Shit…" I muttered, hearing the heated voices downstairs. I turned back toward them. "New plan…we lock the door and don’t come out of this room. Edwards is downstairs, and he’s pissed." They both nodded, gaping at me, and I quickly locked the door. I could hear Grant, Olivia, and Mom all taking their turns in berating the man, but he must have convinced them, because they were knocking at my door moments later. Gloria and Dave were clinging to each other, and I was clinging to no one.

"Jo…" Ma’s voice came. "Unlock the door. It’s all right…Mr. Edwards is here to take Gloria home."

"Don’t open it…" Gloria begged, and I smiled at her.

"Don’t worry…I wouldn’t dare. Just stay quiet," I whispered. Someone must have had a key, however, and the door opened anyway. Gloria stood quickly.

"What is going on here?" Ma asked. I couldn’t answer her and looked at the floor. Mr. Edwards, a tall, looming man, cleared his throat.

"Gloria…I’m sorry…now, come home…it’s all right…I forgive you," he said. I, however, wasn’t buying it, and stood in front of Gloria.

"Don’t do it…" I said, feeling her cling to my hand.

"Come on, Gloria…your mother is out of her mind with worry…she’s been coughing all evening…" he said.

That must have convinced her, because she let go of my hand and said, "All right. I’ll come." He smiled, though I could see right past that phony façade.

"We can discuss everything at home…it’s all going to work out," he said, and hope filled her eyes as she looked back at Dave, who was unconvinced and came to my side.

"Gloria?" he asked softly. She smiled at him.

"It’s going to be fine now," she said, squeezing his hand quickly. We watched helplessly as she left.

After they’d gone, Ma came into my room before we could leave.

"We were just going to…" I began, but she shook her head.

"No…you aren’t." She pointed to the bed. "Stop. Sit. Explain," she said, and I knew there was no getting out of this one. We started talking at the same time. "Whoa…one at a time. Jo?" she asked, and I looked at Dave. He nodded, so I began to tell her what Gloria had told us.

"Oh, no," she muttered, turning to Dave. "And you’ve been seeing her secretly?" she asked quietly. We both nodded as she stood. "Oh, God. This is bad…this is so bad…I don’t even want to think about what’s happening to her right now. Look, you two, I remember Keegan Edwards from when I was younger. He was a bit older that Cal Hockley. Cal didn’t like him. Said he was as crooked as a question mark. Now, as you know, I wasn’t in love with Cal, but we were fond of each other and I trusted him. I should have realized."

"That does it," Dave said. "I’m going over there, and…" Ma grabbed his arm and made him sit back down.

"No, you damned well are not, David Stirling. Now, listen to me…no playing hero. It is not up to you to save her…he could do something awful to you. And Jo, if I find out you have been trying to help him in this, you will have my wrath to answer to. Understood?" she finished, and we both nodded, dazed. She crossed her arms sternly. "I want to hear you say it. You are to go on with your lives as if nothing’s changed. Do you understand?"

"Yes," we both answered quickly.

Chapter Fifteen
Stories